Editing MPEG-2

{{Short description|Video encoding standard}}

[[Image:MPEG.svg|thumb|right|MPEG-2 is used in Digital Video Broadcast and DVDs. The [[MPEG transport stream]], TS, and [[MPEG program stream]], PS, are [[Container format (digital)|container format]]s.]]

'''MPEG-2''' (a.k.a. H.222/H.262 as was defined by the [[ITU]]) is a standard for "the generic [[video coding format|coding of moving pictures]] and associated audio information".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueDetailPage.CatalogueDetail?CSNUMBER=31537|title=ISO/IEC 13818-1:2000 - Information technology -- Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information: Systems|website=www.iso.org|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520030715/http://www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueDetailPage.CatalogueDetail?CSNUMBER=31537|archive-date=20 May 2007}}</ref> It describes a combination of [[Lossy compression|lossy]] [[video compression]] and [[Lossy compression|lossy]] [[audio data compression]] methods, which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission bandwidth. While MPEG-2 is not as efficient as newer standards such as [[H.264/AVC]] and [[HEVC|H.265/HEVC]], backwards compatibility with existing hardware and software means it is still widely used, for example in over-the-air [[digital television]] broadcasting and in the [[DVD-Video]] standard.

==Main characteristics==
MPEG-2 is widely used as the format of [[digital television]] signals that are broadcast by [[terrestrial television|terrestrial]] (over-the-air), [[Cable television|cable]], and [[direct broadcast satellite]] [[Television|TV]] systems. It also specifies the format of movies and other programs that are distributed on [[DVD]] and similar discs. [[TV stations]], [[TV receiver]]s, DVD players, and other equipment are often designed to this standard. MPEG-2 was the second of several standards developed by the Moving Pictures Expert Group ([[MPEG]]) and is an international standard ('''[[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]]/[[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]] 13818''', titled ''Information technology — Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information''). Parts 1 and 2 of MPEG-2 were developed in a collaboration with [[ITU-T]], and they have a respective catalog number in the ITU-T Recommendation Series.

While MPEG-2 is the core of most digital television and DVD formats, it does not completely specify them. Regional institutions can adapt it to their needs by restricting and augmenting aspects of the standard. See [[H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2#Video profiles and levels|Video profiles and levels]].

===Systems===
{{see also|MPEG program stream|MPEG transport stream}}

MPEG-2 Part 1 (ISO/IEC 13818-1 and ITU-T Rec. H.222.0<ref name="H.222.0">{{cite web |url=http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.222.0 |title=H.222.0 : Information technology - Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information: Systems |author=ITU-T |access-date=2010-06-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903192809/http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.222.0 |archive-date=2012-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-t/rec/h/T-REC-H.222.0-200605-I!!SUM-HTM-E.htm |title=H.222.0 Summary |author=ITU-T |date=May 2006 |access-date=2010-06-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519041216/http://www.itu.int/dms_pubrec/itu-t/rec/h/T-REC-H.222.0-200605-I!!SUM-HTM-E.htm |archive-date=2011-05-19 }}</ref>), titled ''Systems'', defines two distinct, but related, [[Digital container format|container formats]]. One is the ''transport stream'', a data packet format designed to transmit one data packet in four [[Asynchronous Transfer Mode|ATM]] data packets for streaming digital video and audio over fixed or mobile transmission mediums, where the beginning and the end of the stream may not be identified, such as [[radio frequency]], [[Electrical cable|cable]] and linear recording mediums, examples of which include [[ATSC]]/[[Digital Video Broadcasting|DVB]]/[[ISDB]]/[[SBTVD]] broadcasting, and [[HDV]] recording on tape. The other is the ''program stream'', an extended version of the [[MPEG-1#Part 1: Systems|MPEG-1]] container format with less overhead than ''transport stream''. ''Program stream'' is designed for random access storage mediums such as [[hard disk drive]]s, [[optical disc]]s and [[flash memory]].

''Transport stream'' file formats include [[M2TS]], which is used on [[Blu-ray]] discs, [[AVCHD]] on re-writable DVDs and [[HDV]] on [[compact flash]] cards. ''Program stream'' files include [[VOB]] on [[DVD]]s and [[Enhanced VOB]] on the short lived [[HD DVD]]. The standard MPEG-2 ''transport stream'' contains packets of 188 bytes. M2TS prepends each packet with 4 bytes containing a 2-bit copy permission indicator and 30-bit timestamp.

[[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] authorized the "[[SMPTE]] Registration Authority, LLC" as the registration authority for MPEG-2 format identifiers. The registration descriptor of MPEG-2 transport is provided by ISO/IEC 13818-1 in order to enable users of the standard to unambiguously carry data when its format is not necessarily a recognized international standard. This provision will permit the MPEG-2 transport standard to carry all types of data while providing for a method of unambiguous identification of the characteristics of the underlying private data.<ref>[http://smpte-ra.org/mpegreg/mpeg.html SMPTE Registration Authority, LLC - registration authority for MPEG-2 format identifiers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128120057/http://www.smpte-ra.org/mpegreg/mpeg.html |date=2010-01-28 }} Retrieved on 2009-07-06</ref>

===Video===
{{Main|H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2}}

MPEG-2 Part 2 (ISO/IEC 13818-2 and ITU-T Rec. H.262), titled ''Video'', is similar to the previous [[MPEG-1#Part 2: Video|MPEG-1 Part 2]] standard, but adds support for [[interlaced video]], the format used by analog broadcast TV systems. MPEG-2 video is not optimized for low [[bit rate]]s, especially less than 1&nbsp;Mbit/s at [[standard-definition]] resolutions. All standards-compliant MPEG-2 Video decoders are fully capable of playing back MPEG-1 Video streams conforming to the constrained parameters bitstream (CPB) limits.

With some enhancements, MPEG-2 Video and Systems are also used in some [[High-definition television|HDTV]] transmission systems, and is the standard format for over-the-air [[ATSC]] digital television.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-21 |title=MPEG Standards- Know what video format to choose |url=https://www.captioningstar.com/blog/mpeg-standards-know-what-video-format-to-choose-mpeg-2-or-mpeg-4/,%20https://www.captioningstar.com/blog/mpeg-standards-know-what-video-format-to-choose-mpeg-2-or-mpeg-4/ |access-date=2024-06-28 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Audio===
MPEG-2 introduces new audio encoding methods compared to MPEG-1:<ref name="mpeg-audio">{{cite web | url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/faq/audio.htm | title=MPEG Audio FAQ Version 9 - MPEG Audio | author=D. Thom, H. Purnhagen, and the MPEG Audio Subgroup | date=October 1998 | access-date=2009-10-31 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807233226/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/faq/audio.htm | archive-date=2011-08-07 }}</ref>

==== MPEG-2 Part 3 ====
{{Main|MPEG-2 Part 3}}

MPEG-2 Part 3 (ISO/IEC 13818-3), titled ''Audio'', enhances [[MPEG-1]]'s audio by allowing the coding of audio programs with more than two [[surround sound|channel]]s, up to 5.1 multichannel. This method is backwards-compatible with MPEG-1, allowing MPEG-1 audio decoders to decode the two main stereo components of the presentation.<ref name="mpeg-2-layer-1-2">{{cite web | url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies/mpeg-2/mp02-aud/index.htm | title=MPEG-2 Audio Layer I/II | author1=Werner Oomen | author2=Leon van de Kerkhof | publisher=chiariglione.org | access-date=2009-12-29 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430183150/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies/mpeg-2/mp02-aud/index.htm | archive-date=2010-04-30 }}</ref> This extension is called [[MPEG Multichannel]] or MPEG-2 BC (backwards-compatible).<ref name="mpeg-audio-faq-bc">{{cite web | url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/faq/mp1-aud/mp1-aud.htm | title=MPEG Audio FAQ Version 9 - MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 BC | author=ISO | date=October 1998 | publisher=ISO | access-date=2009-10-28 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218081343/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/faq/mp1-aud/mp1-aud.htm | archive-date=2010-02-18 }}</ref><ref name="mpeg-bc">{{cite web | url=http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/audio/aac.html | title=AAC | author=MPEG.ORG | access-date=2009-10-28 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070831110756/http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/audio/aac.html | archive-date=2007-08-31 }}</ref><ref name="iso13818-7-2006-pdf">{{citation | url=http://webstore.iec.ch/preview/info_isoiec13818-7%7Bed4.0%7Den.pdf | title=ISO/IEC 13818-7, Fourth edition, Part 7 - Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) | author=ISO | date=2006-01-15 | access-date=2009-10-28 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306055335/http://webstore.iec.ch/preview/info_isoiec13818-7%7Bed4.0%7Den.pdf | archive-date=2009-03-06 }}</ref><ref name="iso13818-7-2004-pdf">{{citation|url=http://jongyeob.com/moniwiki/pds/upload/13818-7.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713115817/http://jongyeob.com/moniwiki/pds/upload/13818-7.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-07-13 |title=ISO/IEC 13818-7, Third edition, Part 7 - Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) |author=ISO |date=2004-10-15 |access-date=2009-10-19 }}</ref>

MPEG-2 Part 3 also defines additional bit rates and sampling rates for MPEG-1 Audio Layers I, II, and III.<ref>Predrag Supurovic, [https://www.datavoyage.com/mpgscript/mpeghdr.htm MPEG Audio Frame Header], Retrieved on 2009-07-11</ref> This extension is known as MPEG-2 LSF (low sampling frequencies), since the new sampling rates are one-half multiples (16, 22.05 and 24&nbsp;kHz) of the sampling rates defined in MPEG-1 (32, 44.1 and 48&nbsp;kHz).

==== MPEG-2 Part 7 ====
{{Main|Advanced Audio Coding}}

MPEG-2 Part 7 (ISO/IEC 13818-7), titled ''Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)'' specifies a rather different, non-backwards-compatible audio format.<ref name="iso13818-7-2006-pdf" /> This format is most commonly called Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), but was originally called MPEG-2 NBC (non-backwards-compatible).<ref name="mpeg-audio-faq-bc" /><ref name="mpeg-bc" /><ref name="mpeg-audio-florence">{{cite web|url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/meetings/firenze/prfloren.htm |title=Florence Press Release |author=ISO |date=March 1996 |publisher=ISO |access-date=2009-10-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408061828/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/meetings/firenze/prfloren.htm |archive-date=2010-04-08 }}</ref>

AAC is more efficient than the previous MPEG audio standards, and is in some ways less complicated than its predecessor, [[MPEG-1#Layer III|MPEG-1 Part 3 Audio Layer 3]], in that it does not have the hybrid filter bank. It supports from 1 to 48 channels at sampling rates of 8 to 96&nbsp;kHz, with multichannel, multilingual, and multiprogram capabilities.<ref name="mpeg-audio"/>

AAC is also defined in [[MPEG-4 Part 3]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

==MPEG-2 Parts==
MPEG-2 standards are published as "Parts". Each part covers a certain aspect of the whole specification.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+MPEG-2 Parts<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/standards | title=MPEG standards | author=MPEG | publisher=chiariglione.org | access-date=2014-07-24 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721125033/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/standards | archive-date=2014-07-21 }}</ref><ref name="jtc1-sc29">{{cite web | url=https://www.iso.org/committee/45316/x/catalogue/ | title=ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29 - Coding of audio, picture, multimedia and hypermedia information | author=ISO | access-date=2017-08-30 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830193514/https://www.iso.org/committee/45316/x/catalogue/ | archive-date=2017-08-30 }}</ref>
|-
! style="width:8%;"| Part
! style="width:15%;"| Number
! style="width:8%;"| First public release date (first edition)
! style="width:8%;"| Latest public release date (last edition)
! style="width:8%;"| Latest amendment
! style="width:6%;"| Identical ITU-T Rec.
! style="width:23%;"| Title
! Description
|-
| Part 1
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/67331.html ISO/IEC 13818-1]
| 1996
| 2015
| 2016<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iso.org/standard/67338.html | title=ISO/IEC 13818-1:2015/Amd 6:2016, Carriage of Quality Metadata in MPEG-2 Systems | author=ISO | access-date=2017-08-30 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830195227/https://www.iso.org/standard/67338.html | archive-date=2017-08-30 }}</ref>
| [http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.222.0 H.222.0]
| Systems
| Synchronization and multiplexing of video and audio. See [[MPEG transport stream]] and [[MPEG program stream]].
|-
| [[MPEG-2 Part 2|Part 2]]
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/61152.html ISO/IEC 13818-2]
| 1996
| 2013
|
| [http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.262 H.262]
| Video
| [[Video coding format]] for interlaced and non-interlaced video signals
|-
| [[MPEG-2 Part 3|Part 3]]
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/26797.html ISO/IEC 13818-3]
| 1995
| 1998
|
|
| Audio
| [[Audio coding format]] for perceptual coding of audio signals. A multichannel-enabled extension and extension of bit rates and sample rates for MPEG-1 Audio Layer I, II and III. Backwards-compatible (BC) audio (backwards-compatible with MPEG-1).
|-
| Part 4
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/40092.html ISO/IEC 13818-4]
| 1998
| 2004
| 2009<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iso.org/standard/51747.html | title=ISO/IEC 13818-4:2004/Amd 3:2009, Level for 1080@50p/60p conformance testing | author=ISO | access-date=2017-08-30 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830191737/https://www.iso.org/standard/51747.html | archive-date=2017-08-30 }}</ref>
|
| Conformance testing
|
|-
| Part 5
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/39486.html ISO/IEC TR 13818-5]
| 1997
| 2005
|
|
| Software simulation
|
|-
| Part 6
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/25039.html ISO/IEC 13818-6]
| 1998
| 1998
| 2001<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iso.org/standard/34609.html | title=ISO/IEC 13818-6:1998/Amd 3:2001, Transport buffer model in support of synchronized user-to-network download protocol | author=ISO | access-date=2017-08-30 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830195029/https://www.iso.org/standard/34609.html | archive-date=2017-08-30 }}</ref>
|
| Extensions for DSM-CC
| [[DSM CC|DSM-CC]] (digital storage media command and control)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/faq/mp2-dsm/mp2-dsm.htm |title=DSM-CC FAQ Version 1.0 |date=1997-02-21 |author=MPEG |publisher=MPEG |access-date=2010-08-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511044831/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/faq/mp2-dsm/mp2-dsm.htm |archive-date=2010-05-11 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies/mpeg-2/mp02-dsm/dsmcc/dsmcc.htm |title=An Introduction to Digital Storage Media - Command and Control (DSM-CC) |year=1996 |author=IEEE |publisher=MPEG |access-date=2010-08-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520160717/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies/mpeg-2/mp02-dsm/dsmcc/dsmcc.htm |archive-date=2010-05-20 }}</ref>
|-
| [[MPEG-2 Part 7|Part 7]]
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/43345.html ISO/IEC 13818-7]
| 1997
| 2006
| 2007<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iso.org/standard/45507.html | title=ISO/IEC 13818-7:2006/Amd 1:2007, Transport of MPEG Surround in AAC | author=ISO | access-date=2017-08-30 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830195122/https://www.iso.org/standard/45507.html | archive-date=2017-08-30 }}</ref>
|
| Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
| [[Advanced Audio Coding]] (AAC). Non-backwards-compatible (NBC) audio (not backwards-compatible with MPEG-1).
|-
| Part 8
| Withdrawn
|
|
|
|
|
| 10-bit video extension. Primary application was studio video, allowing artifact-free processing without giving up compression. Work began in 1995, but was terminated in 2007 because of insufficient industry interest.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ride.chiariglione.org/MP2_development_part_A.php | title=Riding the Media Bits, The development of MPEG-2 - Part A | author=chiariglione.org | date=2010-02-04 | access-date=2010-02-09 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101083247/http://ride.chiariglione.org/MP2_development_part_A.php | archive-date=2011-11-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwUrAwAAQBAJ&q=%22mpeg-2+part+8%22&pg=PT49 |title=Fundamentals and Evolution of MPEG-2 Systems: Paving the MPEG Road |first=Jan |last=Van der Meer |year=2014|publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781118875940 }}</ref>
|-
| Part 9
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/25434.html ISO/IEC 13818-9]
| 1996
| 1996
|
|
| Extension for real time interface for systems decoders
|
|-
| Part 10
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/27044.html ISO/IEC 13818-10]
| 1999
| 1999
|
|
| Conformance extensions for Digital Storage Media Command and Control (DSM-CC)
|
|-
| Part 11
| [https://www.iso.org/standard/37680.html ISO/IEC 13818-11]
| 2004
| 2004
|
|
| IPMP on MPEG-2 systems

| Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies/general/mp-drm/index.htm |title=MPEG Intellectual Property Management and Protection |date=April 2009 |publisher=MPEG |access-date=2010-08-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430183145/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/technologies/general/mp-drm/index.htm |archive-date=2010-04-30 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.w3.org/2000/12/drm-ws/pp/mpeg-koenen.ppt |format=PPT |title=IPMP in MPEG – W3C DRM workshop 22/23 January 2001 |access-date=2010-08-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716224215/http://www.w3.org/2000/12/drm-ws/pp/mpeg-koenen.ppt |archive-date=16 July 2012 }}</ref> XML IPMP messages are also defined in ISO/IEC 23001-3.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iso.org/standard/46387.html | title=ISO/IEC 23001-3:2008, Information technology -- MPEG systems technologies -- Part 3: XML IPMP messages | author=ISO | access-date=2009-10-29 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830193639/https://www.iso.org/standard/46387.html | archive-date=2017-08-30 }}</ref>
|}

==History==
MPEG-2 evolved out of the shortcomings of MPEG-1.

MPEG-1's known weaknesses:
* An audio compression system limited to two channels (stereo)
* No standardized support for interlaced video with poor compression when used for interlaced video
* Only one standardized "profile", constrained parameters bitstream (CBP), which was unsuited for higher resolution video. MPEG-1 could support 4K video but there was no easy way to encode video for higher resolutions, and identify hardware capable of supporting it, as the limitations of such hardware were not defined.
* Support for only one [[chroma subsampling]], 4:2:0

Sakae Okubo of [[Nippon Telegraph and Telephone|NTT]] was  the [[ITU-T]] coordinator for developing the [[H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2]] video coding standard and the requirements chairman in [[MPEG]] for the MPEG-2 set of standards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/hnhs/cvs/hnhs_0604_s7p0_sokubo_cv.doc |publisher=[[ITU]] |title=Sakae Okubo |access-date=2017-01-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050302032129/http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/hnhs/cvs/hnhs_0604_s7p0_sokubo_cv.doc |archive-date=2005-03-02 }}</ref> The majority of patents underlying MPEG-2 technology are owned by three companies: [[Sony]] (311 patents), [[Technicolor SA|Thomson]] (198 patents) and [[Mitsubishi Electric]] (119 patents).<ref name="mpegla"/> [[Hyundai Electronics]] (now [[SK Hynix]]) developed the first MPEG-2 SAVI (System/Audio/Video) decoder in 1995.<ref name="hynix90s">{{cite web |title=History: 1990s |url=https://www.skhynix.com/eng/about/history1990.jsp |website=[[SK Hynix]] |access-date=6 July 2019 |archive-date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205032928/https://www.skhynix.com/eng/about/history1990.jsp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Expand section|date=June 2008}}

== Filename extensions ==
<code>.mpg</code>, <code>.mpeg</code>, and <code>.m2v</code> are some of a number of filename extensions used for MPEG-2 audio and video file formats. <code>.mpg</code> and particularly <code>.mpeg</code> are also used for MPEG-1 formats.

File extension '''[[MP3]]''' (formally '''MPEG-1 Audio Layer III''' or '''MPEG-2 Audio Layer III''') is a [[Audio coding format|coding format]] for [[digital audio]] developed largely by the [[Fraunhofer Society]] in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere.

==Applications==

=== DVD-Video ===

{{Main|DVD-Video}}

The [[DVD-Video]] standard uses MPEG-2 video, but imposes some restrictions:
* Allowed Dimensions
** 720 × 480, 704 × 480, 352 × 480, 352 × 240 pixel (NTSC)
** 720 × 576, 702 × 576, 352 × 576, 352 × 288 pixel (PAL)
* Allowed [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect ratios]] (Display AR)
** 4:3 (for [[letterboxed]] widescreen and non-widescreen frames)
** 16:9 (for [[anamorphic widescreen]]<ref group="dvdaspect">1.85:1 and 2.35:1, among others, are often listed as valid DVD aspect ratios, but are wider film aspects with letterbox style padding to create a 16:9 image</ref>)
<references group="dvdaspect" />
* Allowed frame rates
** 29.97 interlaced frame/s (NTSC)
** 23.976 progressive frame/s (for NTSC 2:3 pull-down to 29.97<ref group="dvdrates">By using a pattern of REPEAT_FIRST_FIELD flags on the headers of encoded pictures, pictures can be displayed for either two or three fields and almost any picture display rate (minimum {{frac|2|3}} of the frame rate) can be achieved. This is most often used to display 23.976 (approximately film rate) video on NTSC. See [[telecine]] for more information on how this works.</ref>)
** 25&nbsp;interlaced frame/s (PAL)
<references group="dvdrates" />
* Audio + video bitrate
** Video peak 9.8&nbsp;Mbit/s
** Total peak 10.08&nbsp;Mbit/s
** Minimum 300&nbsp;kbit/s
* [[Chroma subsampling|YUV 4:2:0]]
* Additional subtitles possible
* [[Closed captioning#DVDs and Blu-ray Discs|Closed captioning]] (NTSC only)
* Audio
** [[LPCM|Linear Pulse Code Modulation]] (LPCM): 48&nbsp;kHz or 96&nbsp;kHz; 16- or 24-bit; up to six channels (not all combinations possible due to bitrate constraints)
** MPEG Layer 2 (MP2): 48&nbsp;kHz, up to 5.1 channels (required in PAL players only)
** [[Dolby Digital]] (DD, also known as AC-3): 48&nbsp;kHz, 32&ndash;448&nbsp;kbit/s, up to 5.1 channels
** [[Digital Theater Systems]] (DTS): 754&nbsp;kbit/s or 1510&nbsp;kbit/s (not required for DVD player compliance)
** NTSC DVDs must contain at least one LPCM or Dolby Digital audio track.
** PAL DVDs must contain at least one MPEG Layer 2, LPCM, or Dolby Digital audio track.
** Players are not required to play back audio with more than two channels, but must be able to [[downmixing|downmix]] multichannel audio to two channels.
* GOP structure (Group Of Pictures)
** Sequence header must be present at the beginning of every GOP
** Maximum frames per GOP: 18 (NTSC) / 15 (PAL), i.e. 0.6 seconds both
** Closed GOP required for multi-angle DVDs

===HDV===
{{Main|HDV}}

HDV is a format for recording and playback of high-definition MPEG-2 video on a DV cassette tape.

===MOD and TOD===
{{Main|MOD and TOD (video format)}}

MOD and TOD are recording formats for use in consumer digital file-based camcorders.

===XDCAM===
{{Main|XDCAM}}

XDCAM is a professional file-based video recording format.

===DVB===
Application-specific restrictions on MPEG-2 video in the [[Digital Video Broadcasting|DVB]] standard:

Allowed resolutions for [[SDTV]]:
* 720, 704, 544, 528, 480 or 352 × 480 pixel, 24/1.001, 24, 30/1.001 or 30 frame/s
* 352 × 240 pixel, 24/1.001, 24, 30/1.001 or 30 frame/s
* 720, 702, 544, 528, 480 or 352 × 576 pixel, 25 frame/s
* 352 × 288 pixel, 25 frame/s
For HDTV:
* 720 x 576 x 50 frame/s progressive (576p50)
* 1280 x 720 x 25 or 50 frame/s progressive (720p50/720p50)
* 1440 or 1920 x 1080 x 25 frame/s progressive (1080p25 = film mode)
* 1440 or 1920 x 1080 x 25 frame/s interlace (1080i50)

===ATSC===
{{Main|ATSC standards}}

The ATSC A/53 standard used in the United States, uses MPEG-2 video at the Main Profile @ High Level (MP@HL), with additional restrictions such as the maximum bitrate of 19.39&nbsp;Mbit/s for broadcast television and 38.8&nbsp;Mbit/s for cable television, 4:2:0 [[chroma subsampling]] format, and mandatory colorimetry information.

ATSC allows the following video resolutions, aspect ratios, and frame/field rates:
* 1920 × 1080 pixel (16:9, square pixels), at 30p, 29.97p, 24p, 23.976p, 60i, 59.94i.
* 1280 × 720 pixel (16:9, square pixels), at 60p, 59.94p, 30p, 29.97p, 24p, or 23.976p
* 704 × 480 pixel (4:3 or 16:9, non-square pixels), at 60p, 59.94p, 30p, 29.97p, 24p, 23.976p, 60i, or 59.94i
* 640 × 480 pixel (4:3, square pixels), at 60p, 59.94p, 30p, 29.97p, 24p, 23.976p, 60i, or 59.94i

ATSC standard A/63 defines additional resolutions and aspect rates for 50&nbsp;Hz (PAL) signal.

The ATSC specification and MPEG-2 allow the use of progressive frames, even within an interlaced video sequence. For example, a station that transmits 1080i60 video sequence can use a coding method where those 60 fields are coded with 24 progressive frames and metadata instructs the decoder to interlace them and perform 3:2 pulldown before display. This allows broadcasters to switch between 60&nbsp;Hz interlaced (news, soap operas) and 24&nbsp;Hz progressive (prime-time) content without ending the MPEG-2 sequence and introducing several seconds of delay as the TV switches formats. This is the reason why 1080p30 and 1080p24 sequences allowed by the ATSC specification are not used in practice.

The 1080-line formats are encoded with 1920 × 1088 pixel luma matrices and 960 × 540 chroma matrices, but the last 8 lines are discarded by the MPEG-2 decoding and display process.

ATSC A/72 is the newest revision of ATSC standards for digital television, which allows the use of H.264/AVC video coding format and 1080p60 signal.

MPEG-2 audio was a contender for the ATSC standard during the [[Digital Television|DTV]] "[[Grand Alliance (HDTV)|Grand Alliance]]" shootout, but lost out to [[Dolby AC-3]].

===ISDB-T===
Technical features of MPEG-2 in ATSC are also valid for [[ISDB-T]], except that in the main TS has aggregated a second program for mobile devices compressed in [[MPEG-4]] H.264 AVC for video and [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]]-LC for audio, mainly known as [[1seg]].

===Blu-ray===
{{Main|Blu-ray}}
MPEG-2 is one of the three supported video coding formats supported by Blu-ray Disc. Early Blu-ray releases typically used MPEG-2 video, but recent releases are almost always in  [[H.264/MPEG-4 AVC|H.264]] or occasionally [[VC-1]]. Only MPEG-2 video (MPEG-2 part 2) is supported, Blu-ray does not support MPEG-2 audio (parts 3 and 7). Additionally, the container format used on Blu-ray discs is an MPEG-2 transport stream, regardless of which audio and video codecs are used.

==Patent pool==
As of January 3, 2024, MPEG-2 [[patent]]s have [[Term of patent|expired]] worldwide, with the exception of only Malaysia, where the last patent is expected to expire in 2035.<ref>{{cite web |title=3 Malaysia MPEG-2 Patents left |url=https://bryanquigley.com/pages/mpeg2-patent-tracker.html |website=Bryan Quigley | date=2024-01-03}}</ref> The last US patent expired on February 23, 2018.<ref name=PatentList>{{cite web |title=MPEG-2 Attachment 1 |url=https://www.mpegla.com/wp-content/uploads/m2-att1.pdf |website=MPEG LA |access-date=29 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529164140/https://www.mpegla.com/wp-content/uploads/m2-att1.pdf|archive-date=29 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/02/15/world_farewells_the_last_mpeg2_patent/|title=Waddawewant? Free video codecs! When dowe .. oh, look, the last MPEG-2 patent expired!|author=Richard Chirgwin|date=15 February 2018|website=The Register|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215143836/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/02/15/world_farewells_the_last_mpeg2_patent/|archive-date=15 February 2018}}</ref>

[[MPEG LA]], a private patent licensing organization, had acquired rights from over 20 corporations and one university to license a [[patent pool]] of approximately 640 worldwide patents, which it claimed were "essential" to use of MPEG-2 technology. The patent holders included [[Sony]], [[Mitsubishi Electric]], [[Fujitsu]], [[Panasonic]], [[Scientific Atlanta]], [[Columbia University]], [[Philips]], [[General Instrument]], [[Canon Inc.|Canon]], [[Hitachi]], [[JVC Kenwood]], [[LG Electronics]], [[Nippon Telegraph and Telephone|NTT]], [[Samsung]], [[Sanyo]], [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]] and [[Toshiba]].<ref>{{cite web |title=MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License Program |url=https://www.mpegla.com/programs/mpeg-2/ |website=MPEG LA |access-date=29 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529164538/https://www.mpegla.com/programs/mpeg-2/ |archive-date=29 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audiompeg.com/us_patents.asp|title=audioMPEG.com - - - US Patents|date=18 March 2004|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20040318031406/http://www.audiompeg.com/us_patents.asp|archive-date=18 March 2004}}</ref> Where [[Software patent]]ability is upheld and patents have not expired (only Malaysia), the use of MPEG-2 requires the payment of licensing fees to the patent holders. Other patents were licensed by Audio MPEG, Inc.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audiompeg.com/|title=Sisvel - We protect ideas - Home|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102130545/http://www.audiompeg.com/|archive-date=2013-01-02}}</ref> The development of the standard itself took less time than the patent negotiations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://audio-video.gnu.org/audio/#TO2005|title=Audio/Video - GNU Project - Free-Software Foundation|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20121224160712/http://audio-video.gnu.org/audio/#CALG|archive-date=2012-12-24}}</ref> Patent pooling between essential and peripheral patent holders in the MPEG-2 pool was the subject of a study by the University of Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://siepr.stanford.edu/publicationsprofile/163|title=Economics of Patent Pools When Some (but not all) Patents are Essential|last=Quint|first=Dan|author2=Amit Gandhi|work=Working Paper|access-date=2009-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710024425/http://siepr.stanford.edu/publicationsprofile/163|archive-date=2010-07-10|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the MPEG-2 licensing agreement '''any''' use of MPEG-2 technology in countries with active patents (Malaysia) is subject to [[royalties]].<ref name=MPEG2PatentPoolLicense>{{cite news |title=MPEG-2 License Agreement |publisher=MPEG LA |url=https://www.mpegla.com/programs/mpeg-2/license-agreement/ |access-date=29 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529164747/https://www.mpegla.com/programs/mpeg-2/license-agreement/ |archive-date=29 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> MPEG-2 encoders and decoders are subject to $0.35 per unit.<ref name=MPEG2PatentPoolLicense/> Also, any packaged medium (DVDs/Data Streams) is subject to licence fees according to length of recording/broadcast. The royalties were previously priced higher but were lowered at several points, most recently on January 1, 2018.<ref name=MPEG2PatentPoolLicense/> 
An earlier criticism of the MPEG-2 patent pool was that even though the number of patents had decreased from 1,048 to 416 by June 2013 the license fee had not decreased with the expiration rate of MPEG-2 patents.<ref name=MPEG2PatentPoolMay2013Business>{{cite news |title=Patent Pools May Create Anticompetitive Effects, New Report Finds |publisher=[[Business Wire]] |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130509005972/en/Patent-Pools-Create-Anticompetitive-Effects-Report-Finds |date=2013-05-09 |access-date=2013-06-06 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820224617/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130509005972/en/Patent-Pools-Create-Anticompetitive-Effects-Report-Finds |archive-date=2014-08-20 }}</ref><ref name=MPEG2PatentPoolJanuary2013Forbes>{{cite magazine |title=MPEG-LA Shows Need to Rebuild IP Foundations |author=Bret Swanson |magazine=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bretswanson/2013/04/30/mpeg-la-shows-need-to-rebuild-ip-foundations/ |date=2013-04-30 |access-date=2013-05-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430144859/http://www.forbes.com/sites/bretswanson/2013/04/30/mpeg-la-shows-need-to-rebuild-ip-foundations/ |archive-date=2013-04-30 }}</ref><ref name=MPEG2PatentPoolJanuary2013FoxNews>{{cite news |title=America's patent system is all wrong for today's high-tech world |author=Steve Forbes |publisher=[[Fox News Channel]] |url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/americas-patent-system-is-all-wrong-for-todays-high-tech-world/ |date=2013-03-18 |access-date=2013-06-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616102104/http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/03/18/america-patent-system-is-all-wrong-for-todays-high-tech-world/ |archive-date=2013-06-16 }}</ref>

=== Patent holders ===
The following organizations have held patents for MPEG-2, as listed at [[MPEG LA]]. See also [[List of United States MPEG-2 patents]].
<section begin="MPEG-2 patents"/>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Organization
! Patents<ref name="mpegla">{{cite web |title=MPEG-2 Patent List |url=https://www.mpegla.com/wp-content/uploads/m2-att1.pdf |website=[[MPEG LA]] |access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>
|-
|[[Sony Corporation]]
|311
|-
|[[Technicolor SA|Thomson]] Licensing
|198
|-
|[[Mitsubishi Electric]]
|119
|-
|[[Philips]]
|99
|-
|[[General Electric|GE]] Technology Development, Inc.
|75
|-
|[[Panasonic Corporation]]
|55
|-
|CIF Licensing, LLC
|44
|-
|[[JVC Kenwood]]
|39
|-
|[[Samsung Electronics]]
|38
|-
|Alcatel Lucent (including Multimedia Patent Trust)
|33
|-
|Cisco Technology, Inc.
|13
|-
|[[Toshiba Corporation]]
|9
|-
|[[Columbia University]]
|9
|-
|[[LG Electronics]]
|8
|-
|[[Hitachi]]
|7
|-
|[[Orange S.A.]]
|7
|-
|[[Fujitsu]]
|6
|-
|[[Robert Bosch GmbH]]
|5
|-
|[[General Instrument]]
|4
|-
|[[British Telecommunications]]
|3
|-
|[[Canon Inc.]]
|2
|-
|[[KDDI Corporation]]
|2
|-
|[[Nippon Telegraph and Telephone]] (NTT)
|2
|-
|ARRIS Technology, Inc.
|2
|-
|[[Sanyo Electric]]
|1
|-
|[[Sharp Corporation]]
|1
|-
|[[Hewlett-Packard]] Enterprise Company
|1
|} <section end="MPEG-2 patents"/>

==See also==
* [[MPEG-1 Audio Layer II|MPEG-1 Audio Layer II (MP2)]]
* [[MP3|MPEG-1 Audio Layer III (MP3)]]
* [[DVD]]
* [[DVB-S2]]
* [[ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29]]
* [[Moving Picture Experts Group]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130605084043/http://www.iem.thm.de/telekom-labor/zinke/mk/mpeg2beg/beginnzi.htm A Beginners Guide for MPEG-2 Standard]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071023065124/http://erg.abdn.ac.uk/research/future-net/digital-video/mpeg2.html MPEG-2 Overview] (figures are lost)
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/papers/paper_14/paper_14.shtml MPEG-2 video compression] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902044211/http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/papers/paper_14/paper_14.shtml |date=2006-09-02 }}
* [http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/6/6.344/www/Video/teaching_MIT6344.html MIT 6.344] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051105014305/http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena/course/6/6.344/www/Video/teaching_MIT6344.html |date=2005-11-05 }} - Slides from lectures on video compression at MIT.
* [http://www.egr.msu.edu/waves/people/Ali_files/DCT_TR802.pdf A Discrete Cosine Transform tutorial] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528022050/http://www.egr.msu.edu/waves/people/Ali_files/DCT_TR802.pdf|date=2008-05-28}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080309044041/http://www.shenick.com/pdfs/Testing_MPEG_IPTV_VOD_QOE.pdf IPTV MPEG and Quality of Experience Testing]
* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/openipmp/ OpenIPMP: Open Source DRM Project for MPEG-2]
* [http://www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueDetailPage.CatalogueDetail?CSNUMBER=31537 ISO/IEC 13818] - MPEG-2 at the ISO Store
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111206012523/http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/mpeg_books.php MPEG] - A list of MPEG reference books
* [https://www.atsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/a_54a_with_corr_1.pdf Recommended Practice: Guide to the Use of the ATSC Digital Television Standard, including Corrigendum No. 1]
{{MPEG}}
{{Compression formats}}
{{High-definition}}
{{List of International Electrotechnical Commission standards}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mpeg-2}}
[[Category:MPEG-2| ]]
[[Category:Audio codecs]]
[[Category:Video codecs]]
[[Category:Interactive television]]
[[Category:ISO/IEC standards]]
[[Category:Open standards covered by patents]]
[[Category:Video compression]]
[[Category:Videotelephony]]